Hidden Guardian
by Minds on Fire
Summary: What really happened in Harry Potter's third year? Harry will learn of secrets he had never before heard of. He will learn of how love can be broken apart and more about his past than he has ever known. Can Ron and Hermione guide him through the lies and the truth? Please read (and review) to find out!
1. Painful changes

_Okay, this is my first Harry Potter fanfic. I do not own Harry Potter or any of it's characters unfortunately. :( But enjoy anyway!_

**Chapter One: Painful Changes**

Harry Potter was not a person you would call a normal boy. For one, he was a wizard and secondly by the Wizarding World, he was considered their 'saviour'. Harry's parents Lily and James Potter had been killed by the darkest wizard in both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds. He was known as Lord Voldemort, Harry had faced him twice one time in his first year while attempting to save the Philosopher's stone. The second time had been when he had gone to rescue his best friend Ron's little sister Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets where had had met a past fore-shadow of Tom Riddle, Voldemort's original name and his muggle father's name.

Not many people would be able to survive such events and Harry himself thought it to be a miracle that he had survived. But he firmly believed this with his heart that he would have never made it through if it weren't for his two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. In first year, it had been Ron who had gotten Harry and Hermione across the chessboard. In second year, it had been Ron's malfunctioned wand that had saved them from getting their memories obliviated. Without either of his best friends he would be dead right now.

Since Harry had no other relatives he was forced to live with the Dursleys, due to a special protection from Lily's half since his Aunt Petunia was his mother's sister making a blood bond between them. While things had never been the best at the Dursleys which was probably an understatement considering his needs were never met sufficiently enough in the Dursley household. However, this year things had taken a 360 degree turn since his Uncle Vernon had lost his job. He had been drinking every night and a few times, he had gotten fairly violent.

It was no surprise that he took out his frustration on Harry but what was surprising that he also took it out on his own son and Petunia if she tried to stop Vernon. Petunia had even tried to help Harry a few times as well as her own son but it seemed that no matter what the woman tried, Vernon wouldn't stop. Harry had heard his aunt crying at night and despite her behaviour towards him in the earlier years he felt bad for his aunt. Seeing the bruises and handprints all over her arm made Harry angry, and he had a sudden urge to protect her.

It was a strange feeling but he felt as if despite the differences between his aunt and his mother that right now his mother would have stepped in and tried to get her sister away from all this. Harry grit his teeth, wandering if there was a way out at least to protect his aunt, surely Dumbledore would not force him to stay here if there was a risk of domestic violence. He knew it was late but he tiptoed down the stairs, making sure even his aunt didn't hear him and sneaked out the back door.

The black-haired boy sat on the grass, his thoughts going to his mother trying to imagine what she would do in such a situation. If only he had known her more, if only there had been someone besides Hagrid to tell him more about his parents. How much he longed in order to find out about how they were, how they fell in love and basically his father and mother's friends. He heard a lot about how he looked so much like his father but had his mother's eyes. But he never knew much about their personality even though Snape always said his father was really arrogant, though that couldn't be true. Even if Snape hated his father he must have known him to say the least and he wandered if Snape knew his mother then dismissed the thought. Snape was a Slytherin, probably a pureblood as well he wouldn't spend time on a muggleborn witch.

Harry was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of barking. He looked and saw a black, shabby looking dog who ran up to him. Harry flinched for a moment but relaxed when the dog simply began to lick some of his wounds. The black-haired boy smiled petting the dog gently with the arm that was less bruised and the dog barked once more.

"I'm surprised a dog would be out at this time but I don't mind the company. Probably here it's better than having no company," Harry said softly, surprising himself that he was talking to a dog. He must really be losing it but he was frustrated. No matter what issues he had with his aunt and Dudley, he wouldn't wish them an abusive life and he knew his mother would have been the same way. The dog rested his head on his life, blinking his eyes as if it felt bad for Harry. The black-haired teen would have said more when a scream from his aunt made him jump in surprise.

"Hide," Harry muttered to the dog and it was clear it didn't need to be told twice as it ran into a bush. He groaned, wondering what had happened. Weren't his aunt and uncle meant to be asleep by now? It was past midnight after all. He went back inside, grimacing as he saw Vernon throw Petunia to the ground. He wondered what the fight was about this time or if Vernon was just venting his frustrations. He leaned closer to the door and could make out that it was about Dudley. He knew he should probably pretend he hadn't seen anything considering how his aunt usually treated him but knew it wasn't in him to see someone being hurt. He headed inside just as Vernon shoved Petunia into the wall. His uncle's beady eyes landed onto him and Harry met his cold gaze with equal sharpness.

From the corner of his eye, he saw something move and anxiously glanced around. The black dog had gotten away hadn't he? Vernon was merciless right now and he wouldn't care who it was, he'd hurt them. However, whatever he had seen had disappeared. However, turning his back on Vernon wasn't the brightest idea as he used the bat he was hitting Petunia with and smashed it into his stomach hard. The black-haired boy groaned, pain searing into him. At that moment, it felt like nothing was more painful. He could see stars dancing around him and it took a moment for him to compose himself.

Returning his attention to his uncle, Harry tried to sit up but his screaming ribs wouldn't let him. He grabbed his chest in pain and looked up at his Uncle nervously.

"Why are you taking your anger out on me?" Harry said frowning although it was probably the wrong thing to ask.

WHACK!

Harry's face went numb with pain as his vision blurred more than usual. He tasted blood in his mouth and spit it out. It took Harry a moment to realize that was what was wrong. He or his aunt hadn't done anything. Uncle Vernon was in one of his moods again and nothing he said or did would satisfy the whale of a man.

Petunia let out a startled cry and she tried to grab Vernon's arm but that was the worst thing she could have done in that sort of situation. A large hand grabbed Petunia by her shoulder and easily lifted her in the air.

"YOU PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A WOMAN!" Vernon snarled, smashing his wife's head against the wall. "I CAN'T BELIEVE I EVER MARRIED SOMEONE LIKE YOU! YOU DESERVE ALL THESE BEATINGS YOU GET! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT BAD LUCK ON ME, WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE GONE AND GOTTEN YOURSELF KILLED LIKE YOUR PATHETIC EXCUSE OF A SISTER?!"

Harry's mind felt numb and dizzy. He could see the injuries on Petunia's body but didn't know how to defeat his Uncle as well as protect his aunt without the use of magic. If he used magic, he would be expelled but if he didn't, his aunt might be killed. He gripped his wand, ready to pull it out as there was no other choice right now.

The sound of a deep growl from underneath the sofa distracted Uncle Vernon. Petunia wanted nothing more to pass out so she couldn't feel the unbearable pain she was in anymore. What happened next surprised everyone. Vernon dropped Petunia who hit the ground, her eyes opening and closing, her breath weary as if she really was on the verge of unconsciousness.

Despite the pain he was in, Harry managed to move over to her and cringed. His aunt had a lot of injuries and from the looks of it, she definitely had a few broken ribs. Looking up, Harry saw a black blur attack the large blur that was Uncle Vernon. He saw the dog he had been talking to attack and concern welled up inside him. He had thought the dog had ran away and hidden. He wanted to tell it to stop but found that his voice had gotten stuck in his throat from everything that happened. As if this night hadn't been crazy enough, it just got crazier as the dog shape-shifted into a human. The man had long black hair and his robes looked like they hadn't been changed in years.

Vernon stumbled backwards towards the door. "You—you're one of those freaks!" he stuttered fearfully. "How—how—"

It gave Harry a twinge of satisfaction seeing his Uncle tremble in fear like he had made his aunt do so moments ago. Speaking of which, Harry returned his attention to his aunt.

"Aunt Petunia?" Harry whispered. "Can you hear me?"

"H-Harry..." Petunia managed to mutter weakly. "Run away. I'd go with you...but I can't leave Dudley..."

"You should both leave," The man said slowly looking at them. "It isn't safe here, I've only knocked him out and the two of you need medical attention."

Petunia took a shaky breath, albeit she swayed heavily causing Harry to steady her and looked at the man.

"Take Harry," Petunia whispered. "I'll be alright. Harry..." She looked at the boy and for the first time ever, she put a hand to her nephew's cheek. "I never hated Lily...ever. She was an amazing person...and it's because of her...I'm telling you to run away..." She trembled and tears ran down her cheeks.

Harry shook his head. He blinked back tears and knew he couldn't leave his aunt not now. However, his vision was beginning to blur and just as he reached to pick his aunt up to support her, his world went black and he passed out.


	2. Unexpected discoveries

_A/N: __Hello there! Thanks for the favs and to those who left reviews. If anyone wants to betaread, PM me please._

**Chapter 2: Unexpected Discoveries**

Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk Hogwarts, going through the paperwork that was almost never-ending. Much was demanded of the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and this summer wasn't any different. His 'advice' was constantly needed by Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic'; especially since news of the incident at Azkaban Prison. A prisoner escaping was indeed nerve wracking since it was believed to be impossible for any normal witch or wizard but what was more unsettling was who had escaped. Sirius Black, a traitor and Death Eater, had been locked up for twelve years in the dreaded prison and was believed to be insane.

The sound of a pop from his fireplace forced Dumbledore to quickly turn around and see the face of a worried Cornelius Fudge looking at him. Stealing a glance at the clock, Dumbledore couldn't help but be concerned. Four o'clock in the morning was certainly not a usual time for a chat.

"Cornelius, is something on your mind?" Dumbledore asked, his tone a mask of calm as always. He could tell he was about to recieve bad news though and had mentally prepared himself.

"Sirius Black was sighted last night," Fudge said nervously. "I just received the notice from the Improper Use of Magic Office, Underage Section."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. He really didn't like where this conversation was going.

"Meaning an underage witch or wizard spotted him," he concluded. "Where, may I ask, was he spotted?"

Fudge was clearly fidgeting now. His eyes refused to look into Dumbledore's.

"He was spotted at Privet Drive, Surrey," he said at last. "At Number Four, to be more precise."

Dumbledore leaned forward, concern obviously present on his face. "Is Harry alright?" he asked quickly. He knew the wards around the Dursley household were strong but he couldn't help worrying.

There was a silence after Dumbledore's question. Fudge's face had gone incredibly pale and the silence in the air was so heavy that it couldn't even be cut through by a knife.

"Harry Potter's at St. Mungo's, Albus," Fudge admitted nervously. "It seemed Dursley was abusing him as well as his aunt."

Dumbledore seemed to ponder this for a moment.

"I will inform the Weasleys," Dumbledore said calmly. "They'll want to see Harry. You need to lodge a complaint for child abuse with both the Ministry and Muggle courts, not to mention domestic violence. Petunia Dursley and her son must be removed from there as soon as possible."

Before he could say much more, an owl appeared with a red envelope which looked like a Howler. Dumbledore reached for it but it moved on it's own. A deep, sarcastic voice filled the room.

_"So you all have finally noticed your precious savior is lying, bloodied and injured in St. Mungo's. Did it ever occur to you to check on this child that so many have placed the fate of the world on? I can assure you that if I hadn't interfered, Harry and his aunt would probably be dead by now. Heck, Petunia may as well already be dead. What was going through your thick head when you placed him with Vernon Dursley? A man who abuses his own wife, teaches his son it's right to hit women and belittle them, did you really think he'd treat Harry anything less than a slave? HE IS TREATED WORSE THAN A SLAVE! He is abused and neglected. HE HAS BEEN FOR YEARS! Did any of you even bother to notice the signs?! And by the way, I know all about Harry's confrontations with Voldemort. This boy is barely a teenager and he already believes it is his responsibility to save everyone from that vile creature. A troll? A possessed Defense teacher? An enchanted diary in the hands of a little girl? A BASILISK? ALBUS DUMBLEDORE ARE YOU EVEN TRYING TO PROTECT MY GODSON!? A word to the wise, I will be watching. If any harm comes to my godson I won't hesitate in taking him away, this time permanently. Harry deserves a childhood, not to be stuck in an abusive household and fighting for his life every year. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! An angry godfather."_

The letter folded up and slowly lowered until it rested on the table. Dumbledore's eyes narrowed at the fact of what had been happening.

"Minister, go settle things with the Ministry and the Muggle courts," Dumbledore said despite his anger, his tone was relatively calm like it always was. Fudge gave him a wary glance but then was on his way. Dumbledore wrote a letter to the Weasleys, instructing them to come over to St. Mungo's as soon as they could as well as another letter to someone who would be much eager to see Harry as well.

Harry felt the world around him swimming from the dizziness he felt. He opened his eyes to see the worried faces of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley as well as his best friend, Ron Weasley who were the closest to him. Every bone in his body seemed to hurt right now. The entire left side of Harry's face was badly bruised and swollen. He was biting his lower lip to prevent his soft whimpers of pain from escaping his lips. His hair was soaked with sweat but he was shivering. Hesitantly, Mr. Weasley gently touched Harry's forehead and confirmed what he already suspected. Harry had a fever which was dangerously high.

"Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked nervously as he touched the boy's arm.

The reaction was instant. All of them jumped back in shock as Harry flinched then cried out in pain before covering his head with his arms in an attempt to protect himself. "S—sorry!"

Harry whimpered. "D—don't hurt Aunt Petunia! Please Uncle!"

"Harry mate, calm down!" Ron cried, grabbing his best friend by the shoulders firmly but not roughly. "You're safe now, mate. You're away from your uncle."

Harry stared at his best friend from what seemed like eternity but finally seemed to breathe out through his nose and look around.

"R-Ron?" Harry whispered, almost as if he didn't believe it. "Is it really you?"

Ron was glad that his presence seemed to calm Harry down somewhat although seeing him like this scared him a lot. He nodded.

"It's me, mate," Ron said softly. "You're safe now."

Another spark of pain from his ribs caused Harry to cry out again as tears escaped his eyes. He had never felt pain like this before. Every second felt like an eternity. Ron tried to wrap his arms around him but nothing seemed to help. He looked desperately at the others.

Harry felt someone lifting up his shirt then touch his chest gently. "There are at least three broken ribs," an unfamiliar voice announced. "Any movement could damage an organ."

Harry forced his eyes to focus on the unfamiliar adult. The unfamiliar adult had brown hair with thin gray lines and looked slightly tired, yet had a smile on his face which Harry found himself wondering how he could manage that considering he looked almost ill.

"Harry, I know you're in pain but you need to remain still and relaxed," The brown-haired man said kindly. "How long have your ribs been hurting?"

"Er—three weeks, I think," Harry mumbled. "Um—who are you?"

"I am Remus Lupin, your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher." The man spoke in a soothing tone which instantly made Harry feel at ease. His tone was calming and gave him a feeling that things would turn out alright somehow. Yes, he was in pain but he was amongst those who cared for him even if he didn't know this new teacher. However, he suddenly gasped as he remembered his aunt.

"Aunt Petunia!" He cried out, almost choking as he remembered she had almost died. He tried to get up but the pain rushed to his head causing him to cringe. Ron and Lupin both caught him forcing him back on the bed.

"Harry, please calm down," Lupin spoke again. "Professor Dumbledore has arranged for your aunt and cousin to be removed from Vernon Dursley's household. Your aunt is currently at a muggle hospital as we felt she wouldn't entirely be at ease in St. Mungo's."

Harry felt himself calm down upon hearing that. He knew his aunt was protesting for him to leave without him but after that, everything was blurry. He wondered how long he had been in the dark for. One of the healers handed him a dreamless draught so he could get some rest but seeing everyone around him he felt a little guilty considering the others had come to see him.

Mrs. Weasley moved forward, sitting besides him. She pulled her basically honorary son and kissed his forehead.

"Rest up, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said in a maternal tone. "We'll take you home with us once you're well enough."

That was all it took as Harry found himself drifting off into a deep slumber at least for awhile.

A few hours later, the sound of soft voices brought Harry out of his slumber. Opening his eyes, Harry was instantly blinded by brightness and had to close them again. Tired of sleeping, he wanted to see how his aunt and cousin were doing. Surely it wasn't easy for them to adjust to everything happening, especially for Dudley whose mother never let even a dark shadow fall over him at night. If he could only see how they were.

Easier said than done. Harry was about to jump out of bed when those present in the room became aware of Harry's consciousness. He was still a little disoriented and not being able to see properly didn't help matters. Hands grabbed his upper arms, preventing him from leaving his bed while several others were saying words that didn't make any sense. It was as if they were speaking a completely different language to him.

"Harry?" a familiar voice called out through the haze of Harry's mind. It took the confused boy a long moment to figure out that it was Professor Dumbledore talking to him. "Harry, you need to stay calm. Do you understand?"

Harry wasn't the one that needed to understand. He was the one who didn't understand. He was still concerned that Vernon may target his family again. He didn't care if he came after him but he knew his mother would want her sister away from Vernon no matter what happened. They may not have been the closest pair of sisters, but they were family and so was he.

"I need to find my aunt and cousin," Harry insisted stubbornly despite his head spinning wildly.

Dumbledore sighed a little.

"Harry, the Minister wants to ask you some questions," Dumbledore said calmly. "About your uncle and why he was hurting you and your aunt."

Harry cringed at that. That was a topic he'd rather not touch. He looked around, desperately wishing Ron and Hermione were here. He knew they'd understand and save him from an interrogation. He couldn't tell Dumbledore how Vernon's behaviour had been with not only him but Petunia and Dudley this year. He couldn't tell him that the boy who had taken on the darkest lord of all time couldn't stand up to his uncle. Most of the time, he convinced himself it was his fault and he had done something to deserve it, even if he didn't entirely understand what that something was.

"Dumbledore, if you don't mind, I would like a word with Harry," Lupin interjected softly. "There's plenty of time to question him when he's feeling a little stronger." He could tell Harry felt uncomfortable discussing such a sensitive topic in front of the Minister.

Fudge made a noise in his throat that sounded almost like a cat being strangled. Dumbledore shot him a warning look but the Minister did not seem to want to back down.

"Honestly Albus, Potter should not be in the company of dangerous half-breeds like this," The Minister seethed coldly making a rude hand gesture towards Lupin. Harry stared, a little incredulous at how easily the Minister could insult a teacher at Hogwarts (who had so far been nothing but nice to Harry) without so much as the blink of an eye. His arrogance also painfully reminded him of his Uncle Vernon and how he got when he was belittling Petunia.

Hurt flashed through Lupin's eyes for a brief moment but otherwise he remained calm.

"Harry's father, James Potter would have no qualms with his son spending time with one of his closest friends," Dumbledore said, his voice firm yet his gaze had no pleasantness in it as he looked at the Minister like he was regarding a child throwing a tantrum instead of a fully grown man. "In fact, dare I say it, he might even be quite displeased with you for treating someone he cared about the way you are."

Harry was glad Dumbledore had said something but what caught his attention the most was what Dumbledore said about his father. He turned to look at Lupin.

"You...knew my parents?" Harry asked in a small voice.

Lupin smiled a little at Harry's question.

"Your father and I were close friends," Lupin admitted. "Your mother and I were study buddies in a sense since she was the brightest witch of her age. I could tell you more about both of them but..." He glanced at the Minister, uncertain. He knew if Dumbledore wasn't here, to the Minister, his presence was so unwanted that even a few minutes with him was unbearable. It was times like these that made him realise how alone he truly was. James and Lily had always tried to protect him from the harsh realities of the Wizarding World, from all the hate directed at him.

Harry glanced at the Minister for a moment, before looking down.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry said, causing the Headmaster to look at him. "I don't want to answer any questions at the moment. As Professor Lupin said...that can wait."

Dumbledore smiled at him, a twinkle in his eyes. He managed to usher everyone out of the room, leaving Lupin alone with Harry.

Harry stared at Lupin, his eyes begging for more information about his parents as he sat up. The look of hope on his face could make even Professor Severus Snape crumble.

Lupin let out a laugh, feeling much more at ease with the Minister out of the room.

"I was friends with your father since our first year here," Lupin informed Harry. "I also knew you when you were a baby. I realize I probably have no right but I was hoping you would let me get to know you again. I want to be your friend, Harry, if that's possible."

Harry was certainly shocked to say the least. He had never really had someone say they wanted to know him and not the-boy-who-lived. It was a welcome change but he didn't know how to react.

"Er—okay," he said uncertainly. "You'll tell me about my parents, right?"

"Of course," Lupin said with a smile. "We can trade off asking questions of you like and if I ask something you don't feel comfortable answering just tell me along with when you need a break. You were very ill and with your other injuries you need to take it slow for the next few days."

It sounded too good to be true.

"You mean you're not going to force me to talk about my uncle?" Harry asked skeptically.

"Not if you don't want to," Lupin said sincerely. "This is not an interrogation. I believe many questions people currently have can be answered if we know more of who you are. I'll even start, all right?"

Harry nodded hesitantly, unsure of how act around a man who seemed so open and sincere. This felt almost unreal. He would get to know what his father was like. It allowed a small bubble of excitement to fill inside him. He wouldn't know his father but it was good enough and he felt a sense of comfort around Lupin. Like he had nothing to be afraid of. He just hoped he wasn't being naive.


End file.
